Air pollution gauge installed in Kabul

KABUL (PAN): The National Environment Protection Agency (NEPA) on Tuesday installed an air pollution gauge in the capital Kabul, an official said.

Speaking to reporters at the inaugural ceremony for the machine, NEPA Director Mustafa Zahir said the system had accounted for 15 million afghanis ($302,786).

The equipment could gauge poisonous gas levels in some parts of the capital, he said, stressing the need for installing six more machines.

In the past, the director recalled, air pollution levels in Kabul were determined from sample tests in foreign countries.

NEPA spokesman Mohammad Khalid Nashim said six other systems would be installed next year, when they would receive funds from the Ministry of Finance.

Made in Austria, the machine was installed in the Parwan-i-Doo area of the capital. It can gauge ozone gas, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen dioxide levels. Such gases could cause skin cancer, respiratory and eye diseases.